Fengcheng.
Yan Haikun had just finished a meeting and returned to his office. Before he could even sit down properly, a man rushed in, pushing the door open, and said to him:
"Chairman, something's wrong! Just received news from Steward Pang. The mistress is missing! The servants checked the wardrobe, and most of her clothes are gone!"
What? Shulan is missing? And she took her clothes with her?
Yan Haikun suddenly stood up, his face extremely solemn. First, he reflected on whether he had done something recently to make her angry and cause her to leave home. Finding no such issue, he then asked:
"What on earth happened? Tell me in detail!"
"After dinner tonight, the mistress said she was going out for a walk to digest food. But she came back less than half an hour later and then stayed in her room without coming out. At eight o'clock, Steward Pang went upstairs as usual to ask if she needed supper. When he knocked on the door and got no response, he pushed the door open and found that the mistress was gone!"
Yan Haikun's face turned ashen. He grabbed a stack of documents and threw them at the man. "Then why aren't you going to look for her?!"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon learning that his wife was missing, Yan Haikun rushed home from the company in a hurry. He sat on the sofa, waiting anxiously. It wasn't until the early hours of the next morning that the investigation results were sent to his phone by his subordinates.
After reading the message, Yan Haikun covered his chest, angrily slamming his phone face - down on the table. But then he couldn't help but feel a bit amused.
The woman who had suddenly gone missing, scaring him half to death and making him search for a full five hours, was neither kidnapped nor in any accident. Instead, she had packed her luggage and boarded a plane to Haicheng with Xie Shi!
Was she just missing her son or simply couldn't resist going to Haicheng? But... this was too much! She'd rather ask Xie Shi to accompany her to Haicheng than him! He also wanted to go to Haicheng to see his two little grandsons!
No matter how hard he searched online, he couldn't find any photos of his little grandsons. God knows how long he'd been itching to see them!
At this moment, Yan Haikun really wanted to drop everything and fly to Haicheng too. But he couldn't. Apart from dealing with the affairs of the Yan Group, he also had to prepare for Yan Zhen's wedding to ensure it would go smoothly. He simply couldn't leave as he pleased.
Alas, when would he finally be able to put down the burden on his shoulders and enjoy a peaceful retirement?
Thinking of Yan Yincheng's eyes, Yan Haikun's face was clouded with worry.
Did he really have no choice but to train Yan Zhen hard and let him take over the entire Yan Empire?
Steward Pang, who was standing nearby, looked at Yan Haikun's expression and said to him, "Chairman, while searching for news about the mistress, we also came across a piece of news. The four - member Ji family had a traffic accident on the highway due to speeding. Everyone except the Ji family's young lady died on the spot."
Yan Haikun, who was well - aware of the recent turmoil in the Ji family, snorted and said, "Those who do too many bad deeds will surely meet their doom. It's their just deserts. From now on, don't mention anything about the Ji family again. The Ji family no longer exists in Fengcheng."
Hiding behind the stairs and hearing every word clearly, Yan Zhen's face turned extremely pale.
As the date of his wedding to Yuan Ya'er approached, he felt more and more anxious. He had agreed to marry Yuan Ya'er because she was the ideal wife in his mind, and he liked her.
But he would never agree to let the girl he had once loved deeply become his little aunt! Previously, Yuan Ya'er had proposed that Ji Xinyue should become his little aunt. He had considered it and thought it was a good idea.
But when he mentioned it to his grandfather later, he was scolded. His grandfather said he didn't understand proper etiquette and that it was not his place to interfere in his uncle's marriage. It almost made him furious.
He had planned to use some means to match his uncle with Ji Xinyue during his wedding. But unexpectedly, these scandals had suddenly emerged from the Ji family, and now the Ji family was completely gone because of the car accident. Although Ji Xinyue didn't die, she was probably disabled. His grandfather would definitely not accept such a daughter - in - law.
What should he do? Was he really going to watch helplessly as his uncle got together with Xiaoxi?
...
Ji Xinyue indeed didn't die. The rescue operation was a success.
However, although she survived, she had paid a very heavy price this time. Her right leg was completely pierced by the metal of the car body, and her Achilles tendon was severed. So the hospital had to perform an amputation. From the knee down, her right leg was empty. She would never be able to dance again.
In addition, two of her ribs were broken, and her face and body were scratched to various degrees. Her head had been severely hit, causing a concussion. Although she was still alive, she had fallen into a coma and needed to be closely monitored in the ICU.
The Ji family had recently been at the center of the storm in Fengcheng. The fact that the whole family had a car accident on the highway and Ji Xinyue had survived by chance couldn't be hidden from the media. Less than half an hour after the accident, the news had spread all over the internet. Some people even posted photos of Ji Xinyue being wheeled into the operating room covered in blood and lying in the ICU with her empty right - leg trouser leg.
The internet was abuzz with a fierce debate about the Ji family's car accident.
Some people said, "This whole family is a scourge. Heaven has eyes. It's good that they're dead."
Some said, "I heard that many people had been blocking the Ji family's door to collect debts recently. They probably wanted to sneak away without paying back the money, but unexpectedly, they had a car accident. So, it's really retribution!"
Some said, "Why did that Ji Xinyue just not die? She bullied and forced a classmate to death and pretended to be an innocent girl to deceive everyone. She's really disgusting. She should have been the first to die."
Some said, "Maybe this is just the case of the evil living a long life. But even if she survives, with the Ji family in this state now, her whole life is ruined."
...
On the bench outside the ICU, Li Mao, with a press pass hanging around his neck, logged out of his social accounts, closed several browsers, exited the IP shielding software, closed his laptop, stood up, took a look at the figure in the ward with tubes all over the body, and then calmly turned around and walked out.
Under the incandescent light, his departing steps became more and more firm, and his back became straighter and straighter.
In the Yuan family's mansion in Fengcheng.
As usual, Yuan Ya'er was scrolling through her phone before going to bed when she accidentally saw the news about the Ji family's accident on the internet. She stood up from the bed, pale - faced, feeling a sense of uneasiness for no reason.
Although the internet said that the Ji family had the car accident in order to avoid the debt collectors, she had a hunch that this matter was not that simple. She had had a premonition ever since the Ji family was targeted and all their scandals were deliberately exposed.
Moreover, there was something she had been keeping in her heart. Guan Baocheng had disappeared.
After Ji Xinyue told her that Yuan Xi was in Haicheng, she had thought she would soon hear the news that Guan Baocheng had gone to Haicheng to find Yuan Xi. But... Guan Baocheng had suddenly vanished from the world.
Looking at Ji Xinyue's outcome right in front of her, the empty trouser leg and the horrible face, she felt a chill run down her spine.
She didn't know if Ji Xinyue had deleted those things. If not...
Yuan Ya'er gritted her teeth. If it weren't for the approaching wedding date with Yan Zhen, she should have gone to find that person the moment she learned that Guan Baocheng had disappeared.
But now, she was afraid she had no choice but to go.
The next day, Yuan Ya'er used the excuse of going to the bridal shop to look at jewelry and drove out alone. What she didn't know was that after she left the Yuan family's villa, an unassuming silver car quietly followed her.
She first went to the bridal shop to look at the wedding dresses and jewelry. After staying there for half an hour, she drove across most of Fengcheng and came to the Ji family's villa.
Although the Ji family had had an accident, the debt collectors at the door hadn't left. They were still gathered around. So Yuan Ya'er had to step on the accelerator and leave.
Finally, she parked her car in front of a beauty salon. Since only women went in and out of this beauty salon, the silver car continued to stay in the dark, observing the situation.
After entering the beauty salon and making sure that no one was following Yuan Ya'er, the staff led her through a secret door, up the stairs, and knocked on a closed door. After getting a response, the staff pushed the door open and said to the person inside:
"Sir, Miss Yuan Ya'er is here."